Fixing The Playoff Rankings
Fixing the Playoff Rankings
Sage Rubin, Swish Tribune
Georgia
The Georgia Bulldogs haven’t had the prettiest wins but they’ve shown that they’re capable of being able to floor it and run away from their opponent. With this most recent win over Missouri, the Bulldogs have cemented themselves as the best team in the country with their elite defense and offense that is able to do what it needs to do in order to walk away with a win. This upcoming game against Ole Miss will likely give us the final conclusion needed to determine what the Bulldogs are this season.
Ohio State
The Buckeyes have not disappointed this season with their thrilling wins over Notre Dame and Penn State. Despite having the strongest resume of the top 4 at this point in time, the Buckeyes have been keeping it close with teams that have a pulse of talent. Unfortunately for us as the fans, the top Big Ten teams often schedule light non-conference opponents so we won’t really know who Ohio State really is until they play Michigan. They’re struggle against Rutgers has been a common trend with how this team performs as the buckeyes have been keeping it close with their opponents until they get a late run.
FSU
The ‘Noles are one of the best teams in America and the results of their latest games show the talent and skill they have. However, throughout the season, despite blowing out most of their opponents, the Seminoles have shown a trend of stalling out at a random quarter. Sometimes this is the 1st quarter, 2nd, 3rd, or even 4th as seen with the Boston College game. I’ll give Florida State an exception this week for their slow performance since they were missing their two star receivers Keon Coleman and Johnny Wilson. And even though they have these stall-outs, they still win by a lot. Just some food for thought.
Washington
Michael Penix led Washington to a remarkable win over the USC Trojans. After a few games of playing down to the competition, Washington seems to have regained life. Their last set of games is beyond brutal so we shall see what record the Huskies finish with. However, as long as they keep winning everything will fall into the right place. Similar case with FSU. I’d dare to say that if Washington wins out, considering the PAC 12’s strength this year, they’d be able to become the #1 team in the country.
Oregon
Oregon is by far the best 1 - loss team in the country and that’s been proven week in and week out. The Ducks are red hot and are set up for a rematch against their rival Washington in the PAC 12 conference championship.
Michigan
Michigan’s sign stealing scandal has severely hurt them in this set of rankings. Unfortunately for the Wolverines, they also haven’t played a ranked opponent this year which makes it even more hard to respect what they have accomplished so far this year. If all the teams above Michigan in this set of rankings had to play the same schedule we’d probably see the same results. The reason why they’re even ranked this high is because they haven’t lost a game. Credit must be given where it’s due, but because of the inferior opponents, they’re not going to be rewarded like the top 4 and Oregon has played much better opponents and would’ve beaten Washington had they not picked some controversial play calls towards the end of the first half giving them the bump up. Time will tell with the Wolverines but I don’t expect them to be able to handle the pressure following the sign-stealing allegations in what will be an incredible Penn State crowd on Saturday.
Texas
The Longhorns are coming off of a close win to a tough Kansas State team. After seeing backup quarterback Maalik Murphy guide the Longhorns to a big time win, it is apparent that Texas has the ability to run the table with their depth specifically at the QB position.
Alabama
Following their loss to Texas and bumpy win vs USF, the Tide have been rolling through their schedule. Alabama is returning to the Alabama we’ve seen for years after their dominating win over arguably the best offense in the country. Keep an eye on Jalen Milroe for the heisman watch. Not saying he’ll make it to New York, but he should get some consideration. The Tide are set up for a conference championship matchup against the Georgia Bulldogs and this will certainly be a thriller.
Penn State
The Nittany Lions have done all that they’ve been asked of so far this season (except beat Ohio State), and now they’re set up for a potential upset over the Michigan Wolverines.
Louisville
The Cardinals are red hot and are set up to face Florida State in the ACC Championship and while they likely won’t win, they may be able to put up a fight. As long as they win out they should be able to make it. The coaching performance by Jeff Brohm has been remarkable giving Louisville the #10 ranking in this set of rankings.
Ole Miss
The Rebels are one of the top offenses in the country led by Lane Kiffen. Expect them to put up a fight against Georgia, but their defense is likely not going to do them any favors since they’re not great on that side of the ball. However, expect the unexpected with Lane Kiffen as the head coach. Keeping this team at a 7-1 record is great but they’re below Louisville because the SEC hasn’t been that strong this year.
Oklahoma State
The Pokes had an amazing turnaround so far this season after suffering a 33-7 loss to South Alabama earlier in the year. The Cowboys have one of the best running backs in college football in Ollie Gordon. With that type of win over Oklahoma, there’s no doubt that Oklahoma State can win the Big 12. Credit to Mike Gundy as well for consistently producing a team that will always compete no matter the opponent.
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